Chapelry History

Broughton-in-Furness is a small town on the southern boundary of England's Lake District National Park. It is located in the Furness region of Cumbria that was part of Lancashire before 1974. It lies near the River Duddon, just inland from the West Cumbrian coastal village of Foxfield.

Broughton is mentioned in the Domesday Book as one of the townships forming the Manor of Hougun held by Earl Tostig. Dating from around the eleventh century, the original settlement grew to become the local market town for both fishing and agriculture. The central obelisk in the town square was constructed to mark the Jubilee of King George III in 1810.

"BROUGHTON-in-Furness, a market-town and chapelry, [as of 1634] in the parish of Kirby-Ireleth, union of Ulverston, hundred of Lonsdale north of the Sands, N. division of the county of Lancaster, 29 miles (N.W.) from Lancaster, and 270 (N. W. by N.) from London; containing 1250 inhabitants. The town is situated on the southern declivity of a gentle eminence, and is in the form of a square; the houses are built of stone, and roofed with blue slate. In the centre of it is a spacious square area, the ground for forming which was given by John Gilpin, Esq., and in which his widow erected a handsome lofty obelisk. Previously to the introduction of machinery, the spinning of woollen-yarn prevailed to a considerable extent in private houses: the making of brush-stocks and hoops at present furnishes employment to many of the inhabitants, particularly the latter, from the number and extent of the coppices on Furness Fells. There was formerly a very extensive tract of uncultivated land called Broughton Common, nearly all of which is now inclosed. The surrounding country is very mountainous, abounding with mines of iron and copper ore, and with slate-quarries; a great quantity of slate is shipped at Dudden Sands, for conveyance coastwise. Iron, grain, malt, oak-bark, and hoops, are also sent from the same spot, in vessels averaging about 60 tons' burthen; and from a place about half a mile below Dudden Bridge, in vessels of 25 tons' burthen, for which the estuary is navigable at the flow of the tide. An act was passed in 1846 for extending the Furness railway to this place. The market is on Wednesday: fairs are held on April 27th and August 1st, for horned-cattle, and on the 6th of October, for horned-cattle and sheep; those in April and October, are likewise statute-fairs for the hiring of servants, and all are much frequented by the clothiers from Yorkshire. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £108; patron, J. Sawrey, Esq.; appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of York, whose tithes were commuted for land in 1828. The chapel is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. Edward Taylor, by will dated in 1784, bequeathed £100, on condition that £60 should be raised by subscription, for the benefit of a grammar school."

Resources

Civil Registration

Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Lancashire Online Parish Clerks

Church records

Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records

Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Poor Law Unions

Probate records

Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Lancashire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers

Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.